You would definitely be better off buying a new ballast, as they shouldn't
cost more than about $50, and that's getting an electronic one that's more
efficient than the older electromagnetic types. The wiring diagram is
usually printed right on the ballast, and if you lay out the new one before
disconnecting the old one, you can get the layout fixed ahead of time.

The particular ballast will depend upon the bulbs used in the fixture (check
the label near one end) and the bulb output. W.W. Grainger, for example
lists three GE Ultramax ballasts that for three- or four bulb fixtures,
using F32T8, F17T8, F25T8, or F28T8 bulbs (low, medium, and high light
output) for $30, $30, and $35.

I'm sure that if you took the fixture to a local electrical supply shop,
they could help you out.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"OrchidKitty" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I have a fluorescent Sunshine Garden with 4 - 48" tubes that I bought
from Charley's Greenhouse. It's about 2 years old. Tubes #3 and #4 are
very dim. The problem is not the bulbs: I replaced the bulbs with new
tubes, and they're still dim. I switched tubes #1 and #2 with tubes #3
and #4, and in positions #3 and #4, they are still dim. I'm assuming
that the problem is the ballast.

I've never replaced a ballast. Is this an easy thing to do? Are all
ballasts the same? Would I be better off just buying a whole new unit
(cost $249 new)? Charley's does not sell replacement ballasts for this
unit, and I'm not finding anything for this particular unit on the Web.

Thanks for any help.